No passport neeed!
Last week I got a phone call that is an exciting Elm Street first for us and for our entire community – international reporter Carrie Nooten read about our production of A Christmas Carol in The New York Times and wanted to do a segment for listeners in Europe on how American theaters are adapting their productions of the holiday theatrical tradition this year!
Give a listen to hear our first international broadcast on Radio Télévision Suisse, a public broadcasting station that provides programming in French for Switzerland! English translation can be found below.
English Translation: A little further south, in Woodstock, Georgia, Elm Street Cultural Arts Village has reimagined the piece it has been performing for the past 3 years in open-air concert since this weekend. As with many theaters, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is essential: this play is the one that generates the most income, sometimes up to half of their annual income, and allows companies to hold out all year round!
Christopher Brazelton, the [Executive] Director:
“Here, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is to theaters what ‘The Nutcracker’ is to ballet. For us, it’s one of the shows, if not THE show, that brings together the most people.”
And this year, even if the troops are working at a loss, they continue to make the room survive in a pandemic. Here, the singers wear transparent masks with integrated microphones to allow spectators, seated at spaced tables, to see them. It is not a panacea, but the safety of the public as well as that of the actors is assured.
“Year after year, it is ‘A Christmas Carol’ that helps theaters. This year, the theaters have mobilized to save “A Christmas Carol,” so that friends and families can attend and keep the tradition alive!” Carrie Nooten for RTS, New York.